If your organization allows you to connect to the Internet, you can go online to browse or search for the most up-to-date Help, templates, training, and other online content.
In this article
Overview
By default, you automatically see the most up-to-date content when you click the Help icon on your site. However, what you see in the Help window can vary depending on one or more of the following factors:
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Whether your server administrator has chosen not to display Help from the Microsoft Web site Your server administrator has the option of disabling online Help from Central Administration. If you see very few Help topics in the Help window, your server administrator might have chosen this option, either because your organization does not allow individuals to connect to the Internet, or for some other reason.
Important: The Help content from the Microsoft Web site that appears by default in the Help viewer is continually updated for accuracy. Also, new content — including training, videos, and templates — is published regularly. For this reason, we recommend that you leave the default Help setting to display online Help, unless your organization has a specific reason for disabling the option. If your organization does disable the option, you can visit the Microsoft Web site from a computer with an Internet connection and find all the same up-to-date content that you would if the online Help setting were enabled for your site.
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Which Help collections your site collection administrator has chosen to display Your site collection administrator can show or hide Help for different products, technologies, or features on your site. Clicking the Help icon may take you to a list of Help collections for different products, technologies, or features. You can then search or browse to articles about the product, technology, or feature that interests you.
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Whether your organization has chosen to display custom site Help instead of product Help Your organization can create custom Help for your SharePoint site. This might be Help content that is specific to processes in your organization or the specific customization your organization has made to your site. Your site collection administrator has the option of displaying custom site Help instead of, or in addition to, product Help.
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Which products or technologies are installed on your server In a large organization with a complex range of customized sites, you might see Help for multiple products, technologies, or features when you click the Help icon. You can set the search scope to search for articles in different Help collections. If you know which product, technology, or feature your question concerns, select the link to that Help collection, and then either browse or search for articles that are specific to it.
Find the right Help
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If you have not already done so, click the Help icon.
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Click the name of an article that interest you or type a search query in the search box
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Choose an article from the search results.
Visit the Microsoft Web site from a Web browser
While the Help window has several advantages, content is also available on the Web. Many of the topics you see on the Microsoft Web site are the same topics you can view in the Help window.
Some advantages to visiting the Microsoft Web site from a Web browser include:
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You can choose to search across content for more programs, not just the content for the programs installed on your server. For example, if you are looking for information about creating an organization chart, you can search the Microsoft Web site to learn which programs have this feature and how to use it.
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You can learn from a variety of content that is available for viewing only from a Web browser, such as videos, online training courses, and templates.
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You can bookmark a link for your own reference or to share with someone else. For example, if you find a Help topic that is useful, you can copy the address of the topic, paste it into an e-mail message, and then send the message to a colleague.
For more information about finding and using online content, visit the Microsoft Web site.
Specify the available Help collections for a site collection (site administrators only)
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From the top of the site collection, click the Site Actions menu, and then click Site Settings.
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On the Site Settings page, under Site Collection Administration, click Help Settings.
Note: If the Go to top level site settings link appears under Site Collection Administration, click the link, and then click Help settings.
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Select or clear the check boxes for the Help collections that you want to make available for the sites in the site collection.
